Vauxhall Agila problems, reliability and years to avoid
If you are considering buying a used Vauxhall Agila, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 2 known faults for this model, 1 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
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Is the Vauxhall Agila reliable?
The Vauxhall Agila has 2 known faults in our database, 1 of them rated high severity. The most serious are engine (timing chain stretching and guide failure leading to rattle and potential engine failure) and brakes (the ABS pump fails at a little over three years old through internal corrosion). None of them makes the car a bad buy on its own; the risk is a seller who knows and says nothing.
That is a count of the faults we hold, not a reliability score. Popular cars get written about more, and a newer generation has had less time to show its faults.
Which Vauxhall Agila years should you avoid?
No year is a write-off on its own. What matters is which serious faults a given year and engine can have, and whether the car in front of you has had them fixed.
Years and engines with a serious known fault
2006 to 2014, 1.2 / 1.4 Twinport: timing chain stretching and guide failure leading to rattle
Each one is set out in full below, with the symptoms, the typical mileage and a rough repair cost.
Generation 1 of 12 known faults · 6 owner reports · 1 good note
Vauxhall Agila B (2008 to 2014) problems
Engine/EmissionsHigh severity📝 Editorial
Timing chain stretching and guide failure leading to rattle and potential engine failure
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
BrakesMedium severity💬 2 owner reports, 2012
The ABS pump fails at a little over three years old through internal corrosion, put down to the brake fluid not being changed every two years; a replacement pump was quoted at £1,700. A later report found that what looks like a failed pump can instead be the brake pressure sensor inside the ABS/ESP module, which specialist repairers fix for about £225 once the module is removed and sent away.
Rough guide
£225-400 for a module repair, 1500-1700 for a new pump
Typical symptoms
ABS and ESP warning lights on together
brake pedal feels normal but the warning lights will not clear
fault code pointing to the pump or pressure sensor
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All engines
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
What owners report on the B
6 single reports, unconfirmed
One owner each, in their own words rewritten as a line, and not counted in our risk scoring. A fault joins the list above once a second report or an editorial source backs it.
Electrics · May 2016The key for a 2013 Vauxhall Agila fell apart, necessitating a replacement.
Suspension and steering · March 2015Warranty Direct claims data indicated that axles and suspension were the most frequent fault area for this model.
Gearbox and clutch · April 2014The manual transmission on a 2008 Agila 1.2 failed at 40,000 miles, with a dealer quoting £4,700 for replacement.
Brakes · August 2013A car required new front brake discs and pads at 18 months old, having covered 24,500 miles.
Brakes · May 2012An ABS failure might stem from a faulty ABS/ESP module brake pressure sensor, which can be repaired by specialists for around £225.
Brakes · January 2012ABS pump failures occurred on cars just over three years old due to internal corrosion, costing £1,700 for a replacement pump.
What owners like about the B
1 note
This model is based on the Suzuki Splash, which has a reputation for high reliability.
Other years0 known faults · 3 good notes
Other Vauxhall Agila years: owner reports
What owners like
3 notes
Vauxhall models generally showed below average warranty repair costs in the 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability Index.
This model achieved a high reliability ranking, placing second among cars over 15 years based on 2012 warranty claims data.
It was the second least likely car built between 1997 and 2009 to have expensive problems, according to the December 2012 Reliability Index.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 6 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Vauxhall Agila advert and we check it in seconds.
Repair costs are typical UK ranges, not quotes. Actual cost depends on condition and garage.Data last verified: October 2026
Vauxhall Agila buying questions
Which Vauxhall Agila years should I avoid?
No Vauxhall Agila year is a write-off, but the B (2008 to 2014) carries the most serious faults: engine. Year matters less than whether the specific car has had the known fixes, so check the history for them.
What should I check when viewing a used Vauxhall Agila?
Ask the seller about the engine and brakes faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for loud metallic rattle on cold start and ABS and ESP warning lights on together. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories, then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against its known faults before you travel. Check a Vauxhall Agila advert →
What is the real MPG of a Vauxhall Agila?
Owners report 48.4 mpg on average across the Vauxhall Agila engines with data, about 89% of the official combined figure. The gap between official and real-world economy varies a lot by engine, so the Real MPG page lists every engine and generation separately, from 153 owner submissions. Vauxhall Agila Real MPG by engine →
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Vauxhall Agila owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.
Knowing what a Vauxhall Agila goes wrong with is half of it. The rest is reading the advert and checking the car's history before you hand any money over.